Just a test

If you sea a mount of seafoam...

If you see a mount of seafoam,
Xahir is what you see.
Xahir is a mountain,
and a fan of feathers.

Xahir is like a dagger
At whose hilt a flower sprouts.
Xahir is a fountain
that springs a coral water.

Xahir is a green field
And an ignited crimson
Xahir is a wounded fawn
that seeks refuge in the forest.

Xahir appeases the valiant.
Xahir, brief and sincere,
is the vigor of steel
from which the sword is forged.

Going Xocial

Thanks to insistence of Laura A., one of our brilliant team members, Xahir will soon be liking, tweeting, tumbling, plus-oneing, and even pinning. See you soon!

Digital Media Defined

"Florida's digital media industry association, Digital Media Alliance Florida, defines digital media as 'the creative convergence of digital arts, science, technology and business for human expression, communication, social interaction and education.'" From Wikipedia.

Elevation Partners Director and Co-Founder Roger McNamee

Elevation Partners Director and Co-Founder Roger McNamee

This is a great video to watch for insights on the next important Internet developments. It is and will be relevant to Xahir's big picture. Joseph Baron-Pravda, who will be graciously joining the team in the near future, brought this video to my attention. Pay special attention to McNamee's comments on "content".

Forgive Typos in Internal Documents

Internal documents are those only read by the staff. I do often go back to things I've written to clarify certain points, and to add or remove stuff, but it's not worth it to proofread for typos or minor imperfections. So please, dismiss them.

The Alpha, the Chi, and the Omega

As of February-March 2012, the Xahir team is building the website and the core of the company from scratch. In that sense, this is the beginning.

However, allow me to point out that I already know the end, as well as nearly every step along the way. Xahir.com, a site to be reckoned with, a site that gives Twitter, Tumblr, Google, Facebook...a run for their money, is nearly complete! Since April of 2011, I have dedicated well over a thousand hours to mentally designing the site, details big and small. So, although this is the beginning of the site’s materialization, its Ideal is well developed, and continually being perfected.

With that in mind, understand the importance of the level of precision with which we will be undertaking projects. Its consequences, although not currently visible, are far reaching. We must work slowly and smartly. We are creating a 1,001-story building.


-George

Strategy

Strategy is probably the most important aspect of Xahir's operations. The company's Management is not appealing to chance for success; victory must be secured before the battle is fought.

"Why do I compare strategic advantages to the bow and arrow? Arrows are shot from between the shoulder and the chest but they can kill an enemy 100 paces away, often without his knowing where they come from. This is why I say strategic advantage is like the bow and arrow." - Sun Bin's The Art of War

Principles of Writing

Some team members will be less experienced than others. The following are principles and pointers to ensure good writing. Adhering to these may be sufficient to elevate your writing from good to great. This list may be updated periodically.

Principle: Maximize verb, minimize adverb/adjective use.
Example: The woman ran quickly through the park.
Corrected: The woman cut through the park.
Example 2: Her hair was bouncy and bright.
Corrected: Her hair bounced and shone.
Example 3: The day was dark, bleak, and lonely.
Corrected: The day was lonely.

Principle: Vary sentence structure and length.
Example: This is a short sentence. This is another short sentence. This one is also about equal.
Corrected: This is a short sentence. This is another short sentence. This third sentence is longer than the preceding two in order to create rhythm. Can you tell?

Principle: Do not repeat the same word several times in one piece.
Example: He perceived some curiosity in his friend’s countenance…. Later, when they perceived the truth...
Corrected: He detected his friend’s curiosity...Later, when they perceived the truth...

Principle: Choose the best words.
Example: The new knowledge helped increase his skills.
Corrected: The acquired knowledge helped refine his skills.

“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—it is the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” - Mark Twain

Principle: Avoid cliche. When you edit your work, if you find a cliche, remove it.

Principle: Avoid redundancies; some are subtle.
Example: With his eyes, he saw a dog.
Corrected: He saw a dog.

Principle: Include concrete details.
Example: My high school teacher was notoriously strict.
Corrected: My high school teacher, Mrs. Sawnson, reserved a portion of the blackboard, visible from outside of the classroom, to mark those who had misbehaved.

Principle: Be concise. Avoid superfluity at all costs. Less is more. When editing your work, do your best to identify any words or sentences you can remove.

Principle: Be sure to use proper grammar.

Pointer: Avoid mixed metaphors.
Example: Life is a train of moods like a string of beads; and as we pass through them they prove to be many colored lenses, which paint the world their own hue, and each shows us only what lies in its own focus.
Correction: Life’s moods are like a string of beads...

Pointer: Use parentheses sparingly. If you have a thought you would like to include in parentheses, question whether including that thought adds or detracts from the quality of your work. Reserve parenthetical notes only for necessary information.

Pointer: Minimize the use of the words “very” and “ a lot”.
Example: He was very powerful.
Correction: He was powerful.
Example: I loved her a lot.
Correction: I adored her.

Xahir Learning Exchange

I am excited to announce a service that Xahir will provide to its team, or more accurately stated, a service its members can provide to each other. Participation is optional.

We will develop a shared spreadsheet in which anyone can list what skills or knowledge they would like to learn and what they would like to teach. This way, our members can browse the exchange and contact each other to take them up on their teaching/learning offers.

The purpose of the learning exchange, made possible through the diverse backgrounds of our writers, is to add value to our team.

- George

Strength In Numbers

For those prospectively interested in the project:

As mentioned in the craig’s list Ad, Xahir is planning to become a portal to the blogosphere, which itself is part of a longer term plan. Getting there requires several phases and we will soon launch phase one.

The purpose of this post is a basic explanation of the revenue element of the project. It is hard to predict how long it will take to have enough traffic to begin monetizing the site, or whether we will even succeed in getting there. Know, however, that we have conceived a detailed strategy to lead us to success.

Each Xahir writer will contribute to a page based on the subject of their choice. Several writers can also contribute to one page. Each page will be created based on specific procedures, but there is also room for flexibility and creativity.

Web traffic will come to your page either from the internet or from another Xahir page, as indicated by the arrows in the schema below. More authors not only increase the possible cross traffic from inside xahir.com, but also from the internet, as the website begins to appear more often in search engine results.


Revenues will be generated from advertising. Your paid-out revenues will be based on the traffic to your page, regardless of the time you put into the project. Your equity compensation will be based off of how much time you put into the project.

Whether we get to monetization of the site or not, I believe you can still get a lot out of this project. I have very strong conviction regarding the success of Xahir, but I also believe in setting the right expectations.

I'll explain more elements of the project later on.

Thanks.

Nonmotivated Slow Learners Who Don’t Work Hard

At Xahir, we value nonmotivated slow learners who don’t work hard.

We are also proud to think differently, having been fortunate enough to discover that in many ways, popular belief remains that the world is flat. This is particularly true when it comes to work.

The example assessed in this article is the platitude--or a variation thereof-- boasted in resumes and interviews: “I am a motivated, hard working, fast learner.” These attributes are significantly overvalued.

When individuals describe themselves as motivated workers, they often mean two things that are exact opposites. Motivation can be synonymous with inspiration, an attitude as fleeting and unpredictable as the weather. Its opposite is will-power, which must be used when the inspiration passes. Consider the following: does a fish need motivation to swim, or a bird  will-power to fly? Of course not. They are literally in their element. Equally, individuals want to be challenged; they want to actualize their talents and skills through their creations. At Xahir, we recognize the value of individuals, and do our best to place them in an environment in which they can most thrive without the need of motivation or will-power.

Fast learner? Sorry to hear. The best way to debunk this myth is a sports example. Champion gymnast, coach, and self-help author, Dan Millman discusses types of learning is his book, Body, Mind, Mastery. He presents the following chart.


The fast learner, curve A, does advance quicker, but eventually, his skills plateau. Not only does he find it challenging to progress, he is also burdened by bad habits that ultimately hurt his performance. Slow learners, on the other hand, have the patience and discipline to lay a foundation that leads to mastery. Curve C represents those formerly in A who went back to the basics before advancing further.

Hard workers are related to motivated individuals. Hard work is driven by ambition, and, by definition, requires significant effort. The adage “work smarter, not harder” is brilliant and seemingly not appreciated enough. Is the presumption that strain impedes productivity really that revolutionary; that a happy, healthy, and balanced lifestyle is optimal? Are certain MBAs not taught the law of diminishing returns? The slow learner’s forethought, and rested individual’s creative solutions save dozens of labor hours.

Many would jump on the opportunity to have an employee work 60 instead of 40 hours. One reason for such judgement is greed, but mostly, it is a consequence of the ignorance that you won’t fall off the edge of the world if you sail far eastward. Xahir’s management wants the same thing that all managers want, to maximize productivity. We simply have an opposite view point on how to achieve those results. Our methods, naturally, are most beneficial to the Xahir team.

Do you have what it takes to enjoy what you do, feel respected and valued, learn slowly, and work smart? We know you do. This is one example of many of our unique corporate philosophy. Enjoy your stay and discover more!

Click here to read our craigslist ad.

Founder, George Rahal's email address: gr [at] xahir [dot] com